View full sizeSue Paterno has always stood by her late husband Joe Paterno. And in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State she is no longer staying quiet in the defense of her husband.Mark Pynes, PennLive.com

Sue Paterno's letter breaks
her 14-month public silence on the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal at
Penn State as it relates to her late husband and the findings of the Freeh
Report.

It started with the Penn
State Board of Trustees firing Joe Paterno, then came the Freeh Report and
finally the NCAA sanctions.

"As this story unfolded, Joe
and I believed strongly that the first priority must be to uncover the full
truth," Sue Paterno wrote. "Despite the Board of Trustees' rash and
irresponsible decision to fire Joe without ever speaking with him, we remained
hopeful that the investigation they initiated with Mr. Freeh, along with
simultaneous investigations by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Second
Mile and other entities, would produce a clear and comprehensive record of what
transpired.

"We also hoped that these
investigations would result in an actionable set of lessons that other
institutions could use to help prevent similar tragedies from unfolding. Sadly,
neither outcome has developed."

Sue Paterno was "shocked" by
the findings of the Freeh Report. So the widow of Joe Paterno has commissioned
her own report by Washington D.C. based family lawyer Wick Sollers.

"It is easy to rush to
judgement when the person in question is not available to defend himself,"
Robinson wrote at the top of his site realmikerob.com. "My friend and mentor
Joe Paterno deserves for his honor to be restored."

In her letter Sue Paterno
made it clear commissioning this report was not about the return of a statue or
restoring wins or even putting Joe Paterno's name on a stadium.

And the former players we
spoke with Saturday said that struck a chord as they read the letter Friday.

"Joe Paterno's legacy wasn't
a statue, winning record or public adulation," Sue Paterno wrote as she closed
her letter. "He was grateful for the many accolades he received but he never
believed they defined his life.

"His legacy is his family and
you his players. How you live your life speaks louder than any report. All that
we want – and what I believe we owe the victims, Joe Paterno and everyone who
cares about Penn State – is the full record of what happened.

"On this point, I know the
advice Joe would give. Don't give up. Don't be afraid. Do the right thing. And
make sure your actions serve the greater good. This is the path I will continue
to follow."

Lehigh Valley Congressmen
Charlie Dent has read summaries of the Paterno family report.